1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the use of genera Prunus endocarp as a dietary supplement product for mammals, to a method for producing the product, to the product produced by the method, and to the method of using the product.
More specifically, the dietary supplement is produced from a natural source from which a host of chemical compounds having beneficial properties, as will be described hereinbelow, can be obtained. Also defined hereinbelow is a method for processing this source in a manner which preserves these chemicals and renders the source ingestible.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Much research has been done on the effect of various organic chemical compounds on mammalian bodily function. It is common knowledge that the addition of certain chemical compounds can have beneficial effects. For example, expansive amounts of literature report that phytochemicals of the general class of (a) tannins, (b) phytic acids, (c) phytosterols and (d) flavanoids/isoflavones have (i) astringent properties and (ii) micellar disruption capabilities. As such, they can be used to affect the absorption of fats. Certain of these phytochemicals have also been reported as having ancillary anti-cancer/cancer preventative, hypocholesterolemic, antihepatotoxic and immunostimulant properties as well. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to introduce these compounds into the diet. Synthetic versions of these compounds can be costly as well as unappealing to those who prefer natural products. In addition, even if these compounds can be found naturally in multiple natural sources, there is a practical limit to the number of supplements individuals can reasonably be expected to take. There is therefore a need in the art for a product which provides a multiplicity of such beneficial compounds. Ideally this product would be natural, inexpensive to acquire and process, and easily ingested.
It is common knowledge that a large segment of society is overweight. Some have attributed this to a less physically active lifestyle in this modern era; a sedentary lifestyle tends to result in weight gain. Others have blamed consumption of foods with high fat content. Studies have shown that people of excessive weight tend to have a higher incidence of certain health problems. In addition to health risks, society finds excess weight to be aesthetically unappealing.
As a result, significant efforts have been directed at finding methods to enable people to lose weight. This has resulted in diet programs under which participants reduce their caloric intake in general and in relation to specific foods which tend to result in increased weight as well as resulting in creation of numerous exercise programs designed to burn calories. In addition, sugar and fat substitutes have been introduced as another way to reduce caloric intake. While some of these efforts may help, they generally prove ineffective for most of the population. Diet and exercise programs are difficult to follow, and many take a dim view with regard to such sugar and fat substitutes.
A high fat intake diet associated with an inability to match that intake with the expenditure of the consumed fat derived calories is known to be correlated with obesity. It is understood that the body tends to store excess absorbed fat for future use rather than eliminate it, and it is this factor which tends to lead to weight gain. Unfortunately, fats make many food products appealing and this leads to excessive fat consumption. There is therefore a need in the art for a product which reduces the body""s absorption of fats. Ideally this product would be natural and easily ingested. The present invention is designed to satisfy this and other needs.
Absorption of fats from the diet in the gut is regulated by gastric secretions from the bile duct. Absorption of the various types of fats typically found in the human diet is controlled by the release of triglyceride digesting esterases which are released from the gallbladder via the bile duct into the upper duodenum. Once in the digestive tract, these esterases hydrolyze the fatty acid chains from the triglycerides, freeing the fatty acids causing the formation of fat micells and consequently allowing fat absorption to take place.
The absorption of the free fatty acids from the lumen of the small intestine is achieved through a process of emulsification/micellization with bile salts in the crypts between the microvilli that cover the lumen of the intestine. These created micelles are capable of being absorbed across the cells defining the lumen via a pinocytotic process and into the underlying capillaries that drain into the hepatic portal vein. This diffusion is controlled by the diffusion potential across the brush border of epithelial cells of the micro-villi and the presence of chemical compounds with astringent and/or micellar disruption capabilities that reduce the absorption of fats.
Volumes of literature report that phytochemicals of the general classes of (a) tannins, (b) phytic acids, (c) phytosterols and (d) flavanoids/isoflavones have (i) astringent properties and (ii) micellar disruption capabilities. As such, they can be used to effectively reduce the absorption of fats. Certain of these phytochemicals are also known to have anti-cancer/cancer preventative, hypocholesterolemic, antihepatotoxic and immunostimulant properties.
Endocarp preparations from the genera Prunus have been shown to be rich in the phytochemicals referred to above. Absent in the literature, however, is any suggestion of the use of genera Prunus endocarp or portions thereof as a dietary supplement in reducing significantly the absorption of the intake of fats. It is well known that the endocarp of the genera Prunus includes an undesirable compound, hydrocyanic acid. Ideally, this hydrocyanic acid should be removed before genera Prunus endocarp is ingested.
According to the invention there is provided a dietary supplement comprising an endocarp, an exocarp or a mesocarp of the genera Prunus in ingestible form.
Further according to the invention there is provided a method for using a dietary supplement comprising an endocarp, an exocarp or a mesocarp of the genera Prunus including the step of ingesting a sufficient amount of the supplement to reduce the body""s absorption of fat.
Still further according to the invention there is provided a method for producing a dietary supplement comprising the steps of obtaining a fresh endocarp, exocarp or mesocarp of the genera Prunus, freezing the obtained structure prior to placing same in a suitable vacuum vessel, connecting the vacuum vessel to a lyophilizer, creating a pressure drop in the vessel to a suitable vacuum level maintaining the vacuum level for a predetermined duration; returning atmospheric pressure into the vessel, removing the lyophilized structure from within the vessel, and pulverizing the structure into particles of predetermined size.
Yet further according to the invention there is provided a product made by the method of the present invention.